Tobias Gustafsson was part of the Swedish men’s national team when they won their ninth World Floorball Championships title in Helsinki, Finland in December 2021. The World Championships were postponed from 2020 to 2021.
The Swedish team beat the reigning champions and host, Finland, in a very tight final match. Gustafsson was nominated to the World Championships 2020 All-Star Team as one of the best defenders during the event. He finished with a total of four goals and scored the victory goal during the final against Finland.
Sweden is one of the eight floorball teams qualified for The World Games 2022, so most likely we will see Tobias Gustafsson playing in Birmingham, Alabama, in July 2022.
Tobias recently shared more with Protective Life about what brought him to love floorball, his recent accomplishments and past competitions.
Q: How long have you been competing in floorball? What about the sport compelled out to try it out?
A: I have been playing floorball since I was eight years old, totaling 21 years. It is my ninth year competing at the highest level here in Sweden.
I don't remember what it was that made me try floorball out for the first time, but I do remember that it didn't take long before I fell in love with the sport. Especially with the speed of the game and the skill level needed to handle the ball while moving.
Q: If you weren’t a floorball player, what other World Games sport would you compete in?
A: Archery. I was able to watch a competition at the last World Games and the athletes made it look so easy. The steady hands, all the calculations they must make for distance and wind before every shot and the accuracy they deliver fascinates me. So, I think that would be a cool sport to be good at.
Q: You recently competed at the 2020, but played in 2021, World Championship in Helsinki, Finland. Where else have you competed?
A: I have played two world championships before the last one in Helsinki, the first one was in Riga, Latvia and the second was in Prague, Czech Republic. I was also part of the Swedish team during the last World Games in Wroclaw, Poland.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: I'm most proud of the gold medal from last month, after all the disappointments from two silver medals -- the relief and happiness when we finally did it, was overwhelming. I also have two gold medals with my Swedish club Storvreta that I'm proud of too!
Q: What do you think makes floorball different from other sports?
A: In my opinion, the thing that stands out for floorball is the speed. The ball travels so fast that you can create scoring chances within seconds, leading to the possibility of a comeback. This is one of the reasons why floorball is so fun to watch.
Congratulations to Tobias on being named December’s Athlete of the Month, and we’re looking forward to cheering you on in the future!
Read more about Tobias and previous Athlete of the Month honorees on The World Games website.
